Posted: Feb 21, 2016
- Most of the action was in the NE-10 and CACC on Saturday and the wrap starts with showdowns between the top teams in the latter loop…
- Philadelphia secured the top seed in the CACC South with a comeback win over Holy Family, 66-64. The visiting Tigers led 37-25 at the half and, although the Rams stuck to the task, HFU still held a 56-49 advantage with 6:35 to go. That’s when the home team struck with a killer 11-0 burst to take the lead for good (60-56, 2:30). Taylor Walker’s basket drew HFU within 63-61 with 34 seconds left but a trio of Rams foul shots pushed the spread to 66-61. Jill Conroy (24 points, 6-11 3FG) drilled the last of her triples with ten ticks to play, making it a 66-64 game. The Rams missed two foul shots on the ensuing possession keeping the door ajar for HFU but Conroy missed what would have been a game-winning three-pointer to end the thriller. Philadelphia was topped by Bria Young (21 points) and Tori Arnao (15 points, 10 caroms) while Abigail Iannotti (14 points, 13 boards) supplied the best support for Holy Family. The Rams five-game win streak is the second longest current streak in the region. The teams will enter the CACC tournament as the #1 and #2 seeds from the South Division, respectively, once they finish out the regular season on Tuesday.
- Bloomfield held off a late rally from Caldwell in the clash of the CACC North leaders, winning by a 68-64 count at the Newman Center. After the Cougars established a 16-12 lead after one period the Bears pounced, ruling the second and third frames by a 38-21 count to grab a 50-37 lead entering the final frame. The margin grew to 58-43 with 3:40 to go before Caldwell finally responded, tearing off a 10-0 spurt to bring them within 58-53 at the 1:14 mark. Back-to-back three-pointers from Nicole Angelo (11 points) and Antoinette Pilla (10 points) sliced an eight-point BC lead to 66-64 with six ticks left but Ariel Wilson prevented disaster for the Bears by hitting a pair of free throws shortly thereafter to ice the win. Deja McKenzie (career-best 19 points; 8 boards) and Tianna Smith (16 points) led the Bloomfield attack while Sharrell Sanders (16 points, 7 assists) was one of five Caldwell starters in double digits. Bloomfield dominated the glass (50-24) and shot 48% overall (Caldwell shot just 37%) but committed fifteen more turnovers (23-8), leading to a 24-12 Cougar edge in points-off-mistakes, which helped keep the home team alive but couldn’t prevent them from watching their nine-game win streak evaporate. The teams will enter the CACC tournament as the #1 and #2 seeds from the North Division, respectively, once they finish out the regular season on Tuesday.
- St. Anselm sped past Bentley in the last fourteen minutes to hand the Falcons a 65-57 setback in Manchester, snapping a 23-game losing skid (back to 2002) in the series between the team. The victory also locked up the #2 seed in the NE-10 Northeast for the Hawks (Bentley had already clinched the #1 seed). Bentley put together a 13-0 third period run to grab a 43-34 lead with 4:41 left in the stanza but St. A’s ended the frame with a 7-2 spell (45-41) to signify what was to come. Megan Lewis’ (12 points) basket with 5:20 left gave Bentley its last lead, 50-49; the Hawks countered with a decisive 11-0 run, fueled by five different scorers. The resulting 60-50 lead (1:08) was more than Bentley could recover from and the Hawks had their win. Candace Andrews (23 points, 19 in the second half) and Caitlyn Abela (15 points) led the St. Anselm attack while Victoria Lux (career-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds) and Jen Gemma (18 points) did the work for Bentley. St. A’s shot far better than their guests (45%-29%), made 17-22 at the line and swatted away eleven shots (Samnell Vonleh rejected seven of them) to hammer home the outcome.
- AIC prepped for the upcoming NE-10 tourney with a 66-54 triumph over the College of Saint Rose, ending the Golden Knights season on an eight-game slide. The Yellow Jackets took the lead for good midway through the second quarter but couldn’t shake Saint Rose until the late going. A 9-2 spell turned a one-point lead into a 59-51 edge with 3:27 left for AIC and, after three Saint Rose free throws, the Jackets scored the last seven points to ice the win. Dana Watts (16 points, 10 boards), Sydney Tepley (10 points, 8 rebounds) and Ebony Easter (10 points) filled the stat sheet for AIC while Taylor Nazon (14 points) and Keyontae Williams (10 points) registered double digits for the Golden Knights. AIC, the #1 seed in the NE-10’s Southwest Division, has the region’s longest current win streak at seven games.
- Queens dealt Bridgeport a 64-49 defeat in the Nutmeg State to keep their hopes of a top two ECC finish alive while also damaging the Purple Knights playoff hopes. A 16-2 explosion in the second quarter staked the Knights to a 36-19 halftime lead and they stayed solidly in control thereafter. UB did manage to trim the deficit to 49-40 early in the fourth period but an 8-2 QC answer (57-42) rubbed out any comeback thoughts. Madison Rowland (27 points, 17 boards, 6 steals) and MacKenzie Rowland (26 points, 10 boards) were sensational for Queens while Evelyn Ovner (14 points, 12 boards) led the UB effort. The Knights, winners of four in a row, are one-half game out of third place in the ECC while Bridgeport is two games out of a playoff spot in the loss column.
- The day’s only other ECC game saw Molloy squeeze out a 67-64 win at Dowling to stay a step ahead of the pursuing pack for a playoff berth. The Lions ended the first half with a 17-4 spree to take a 30-28 lead and, while their path to victory was hardly an easy one, they never trailed again. Aaliyah McDonald (19 points) scored seven points in a row to send Molloy into a 55-45 lead with 8:41 left but the Golden Lions chopped the lead down to a single point twice after that, the last being 65-64 with 10 seconds left after a Kayla Hill (20 points) basket. The teams swapped turnovers before Ally Leftridge (17 points) canned a pair of free throws at the :10 mark to make it 67-64. Hill missed a game-tying trey at the other end and Molloy survived. Kimani Jackson added ten points for the Lions, who shot 46% and hauled in seven more boards (34-27). Krstina Surlan (20 points) was sharp for Dowling, which shot 49% overall but still dropped their sixteenth straight game. Molloy sits in fifth place in the ECC at the moment with two games left.
- Assumption has the inside track to third place in the NE-10 Northeast after their 63-55 win over St. Michael’s in Worcester. This game was close all the way (five ties, eighteen lead changes) and the teams were not separated by more than five points for more than three periods. Indira Evora (10 points) gave the Purple Knights their last lead to start the fourth quarter (40-37) but it preceded an 11-2 Greyhound burst that put the home team ahead, 48-42 (5:41). AC managed to keep SMC at bay thereafter to get the job done and close in on a first round playoff bye. Kelly Conley (14 points) led the attack for Assumption as they made things work at the line (15-18 FT) and with the ball (14/8 assist/turnover ratio). Makenzie Burud (14 points, 10 caroms) topped four SMC players in double digits but the Purple Knights didn’t get to the line often (4-7 FT) and turned the ball over fourteen times. They finish out their season on Tuesday while AC will look to secure third place the same evening.
- Merrimack kept their playoff hopes alive and pushed Franklin Pierce into fourth place in the NE-10 Northeast with a 69-51 victory in North Andover. The Warriors, who have won four straight and are tied with Stonehill for fifth place in the loop (one game behind FPU) claimed the lead midway through the second quarter and never trailed again. It was a 40-37 game with 4:37 left in the third period when MC extended their cushion by putting together a 19-5 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters. That provided a 59-42 edge with 5:54 left and was more than enough to lock up the win. Ashley Weissmann (15 points, 7 boards) and Caitlyn Garger (13 points, 7 boards) led the Warriors as they shot well (44% FG, 6-12 3FG, 15-18 FT) and ruled the glass (44-27). Kara Charette (23 points) was the sole Raven to register more than seven points as they shot just 35% overall and went 10-20 at the line. Both teams have plenty to play for on the last day of the NE-10 regular season.
- Stonehill rode the trio of Paige Marshall (21 points, including the 1,000th of her career), Kelly Martin (20 points) and Maty Diabate (14 points) to a 69-58 victory over Southern New Hampshire, keeping their NE-10 Northeast playoff embers burning and eliminating the Penmen in the process. The Skyhawks never trailed in the second half (after a 27-all tie at the break) but SNHU was still in it with 6:27 to go, as they pulled within a point (52-51). The Skyhawks then unleashed a 10-2 flurry (Martin had seven points) to make it a 64-53 score and they preserved it the rest of the way. Sara Ryan led the Penmen with 11 points but the key stat here was turnovers, as Stonehill forced eleven more (23-12), to help them gain more scoring chances. The Skyhawks NE-10 fate will be decided on Tuesday.
- The NE-10 Southwest playoff picture is up in the air from spots 2-5 with three teams tied for second place and another one game behind. Two of the teams in the three-way deadlock played on Saturday with Southern Connecticut beating LeMoyne, 68-57, to muddle things that much more. (Idle Adelphi is also part of the mix). The Owls never trailed in the first half, leading 27-23 at the interval, but the Dolphins scored the first five points of the second half to go ahead, 28-27. All that did was shock SCSU to life and they responded with a 17-2 bomb to craft a 44-30 lead and they led by nine points or more the rest of the way to ensure their third straight win. Maria Wesleyj (17 points) and Jackie Beathea (11 points, 10 boards) were among the best Owl options as they shot 49% and dominated at the line (23-35; LC 2-2 FT). Maggie Brown had a double-double for the Dolphins (15 points, 14 boards, eleven of them offensive) but had too little support. Both clubs playoff seeds (as well as Adelphi’s) will depend on their results Tuesday.
- New Haven blew out Pace, 80-41, to lock up an NE-10 Southwest playoff berth, their seed still to be determined. The Chargers didn’t trail in this one, pulling into the half ahead, 36-23. They waxed the Setters in the third period (24-8) to make it a 60-31 game and take any drama out of the remainder of the contest. India Dotson (22 points, 10-14 FG), Briana Bradford (19 points, 8 boards) and Lauren Hebert (15 points, 9 rebounds) were the central figures for UNH as they shot 47%, drilled 24-29 at the line and posted an 11/8 assist/turnover line. Yuni Sher’s nine-point, five-rebound totals led Pace, summing up their day (29% FG, 1-12 3FG); they end their season on Tuesday.
- Chestnut Hill prevailed in a wild CACC South overtime game against the University of the Sciences, 91-80, keeping their playoff hopes alive. Despite the loss the Devils wrapped up their regular season sure of a playoff spot but not of their seed. The Griffins scored the last fifteen points of the first quarter and also enjoyed a 7-0 second period run to build a 33-14 lead with 4:43 left in the half. The Devils ended the half on a 10-4 burst (37-24) and kept coming in the third period, getting the lead down to 52-44 by the finish. CHC surged ahead 59-44 with 8:21 to go in regulation but Sciences put up a massive 22-4 run, jammed with five three-pointers, to take a sudden 66-63 lead with 4:13 on the clock. Molly Greenburg’s basket at :58 and Megan Wolf’s (12 points) free throw with :12 to go gave the Devils a 74-72 edge but Brittany McDonough’s (24 points) hoop with four second left sent the game to overtime at 74-all. Chestnut Hill owned the OT frame, scoring the first thirteen points (87-74, 2:19) and sauntering home. Mary Trossi (28 points), Caity Kuhnen (14 points) and Lauren Milligan (12 points, 10 rebounds) also played well for the Griffins, who shot far better than their foes (52%-31% FG) and pulled in ten more boards (49-39), as well. Alex Thomas (22 points), Marissa Sylvester (15 points) and Laura Trisch (14 points) joined Wolf in doubles for Sciences as they made up for their deficiencies with a three-point barrage (16-40 3FG) and eleven fewer turnovers (21-10), the latter leading to a 26-6 plus in point-off-mistakes.
- Wilmington won a do-or-die game against Goldey-Beacon to stay in the playoff race, 92-67, knocking the Lightning out of the picture in the process. The contest itself was mostly in the Wildcats favor after a good start for GBC (7-2). Wilmington rolled up a 41-28 lead by the half and wasn’t troubled after that as they beat the Lightning for the first time since 2009 (thirteen games). Macy Robinson (27 points, 13 boards), Tenicia Spence (25 points) and Ebonee Dixon (13 points) were the Wilmington ring-leaders as they ruled the boards (55-41) and feasted at the line (26-35; GBC 15-23 FT). Lexi Bruno, Tanner Turner-Rush (17 points each) and Britani Bryson (10 points, 15 boards) topped the GBC stat sheet but they shot just 31% overall and lost for the third straight time.
- Dominican wiped out Nyack, 79-48, to get back to .500 in CACC North play. The Chargers led most of the day, racing to a 31-15 lead after one period and held a 45-24 halftime bulge. There was no response from the Warriors in the third period, as DC extended the margin to 66-30 by the end of the frame. Lisa Bouffard (18 points) and Deja Gabbidon (17 points, 16 boards) led the rout as the Chargers pulled in nineteen more rebounds (61-42), out-shot the Warriors in a big way (43%-21%) and smashed them from deep (DC 11-24 3FG; Nyack 1-24 3FG). Japria Karim-Duvall (14 points) led three Nyack double digit scorers.
- Post shot a sizzling 62% from the field (26-42 FG) to drop Concordia, 80-68, in their CACC North game in Waterbury. The Eagles, who also went 24-32 at the line and won the board battle (39-27) claimed the lead for keeps late in the first period and held a 38-26 bulge at the interval. The Clippers came as close as six points on a few occasions in the second half but never overcame the halftime deficit and closed their season with a loss. Tyra Jones (28 points, 7 boards, 6 assists), Toni Deren (20 points, 4-6 3FG) and Jeshanah Martinez (15 points) spurred the Post onslaught while Julianne Wilkinson (18 points), Courtney Flemming (13 points) and Khadijah Donaldson (11 points, 10 boards) had solid outings for the Clippers.